Here's the next chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it.
phillyitalian - He really did. It was quite fun to write about his antics. And yes, you're right about the ruining plans bit. I mean, look at Trafalgar and his interactions with the Straw Hate. Poor guy has to deal with their shenanigans. Thanks for reading.
Guest - Thank you so much, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I'm terribly sorry, I have no idea what you mean by the last part.
djinn - Thanks so much, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. Luffy does have an amazing power and he doesn't even need his devil fruit to achieve it. Hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Foxfire573 - Muchas gracias por leer. También me gustó Skypiea, es una historia muy buena. Raki y Conis son personajes que me gustan, así que me aseguraré de incluirlos. También me gustas tu idea de Omake, parece que sería gracioso. Espero que disfrutes de este capítulo.
JimmySG0 - Thank you, I'm happy to hear it. This will be quite an interesting chapter, so I hope you'll enjoy it.
Ramen Sensei - RS - Haha! Sorry for the wait, but here you go. I really liked the LA series. It was different, but in a good way. I hope to see what they do in the next season.
yashdaga205 - Making a story as interesting and as new to the reader is one of my greatest priorities when I'm writing so I'm always finding ways to have my OCs interact and shape the story while trying not to stray away from the original source. I agree that a lot of writers seemed to fall into the trap and it's a shame because they seemed promising at the start. Magpie's fighting style is interesting, it has as many faults as it had advantages so I'm excited to figure out what will happen when he faces powerful enemies. Thanks for reading.
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, I'm so glad that you enjoyed it.
FanSuperAnime - Thank you so much, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. As for how Magpie knew about Luffy's defeat…well, that's something for later in the story. The LA really took me by surprise, I really enjoyed it and how close to the original source it was. However, I have my some problems with Usopp's episodes (I mean he barely did anything in his own arc! How could they do that to God Usopp!) but overall I really liked it.
HyenaMan - Please don't worry. It's really helpful in order to make the story as intelligibly and readable as possible. Thank you so much. I really liked the LA; it was a little strange at times, but it was, overall, really well made. I can't wait for the next season.
Guest - He won't. The mask symbolises his enslavement to the Secret Empire, but what he wants is to be free from his prison. He will be a much different person once he become part of the crew.
MasterDarkElf - Me too! Robin is so awesome! I think it'll make sense if she becomes the first girl, but we'll have to wait and see. Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enjoy this chapter.
Thanks for reviewing :)
Chapter 6: Civil War
Arabastan Desert
"YYYYYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
The joyful cry rang out through the deserted landscape like a siren, breaking the tranquility of the peaceful dawn over the yellow sands.
"WWWOOOHHHHHHOOOOOOOO! FASTER! FASTER!" Luffy yelled as he wrapped his legs tightly to Magpie's mid-section, throwing his arms in the air and letting them wave in the wind as it whipped past them, "AWESOME! I'VE NEVER TRAVELED AT THIS SPEED BEFORE!"
Magpie sighed as he continued to sprint across the desert at tremendous speeds; leaping over dunes and zipping past rocks as he went. He had long given up letting Luffy walk on his own and decided that this was the best way to Alurbarna. If only he wasn't treated as some sort of vehicle then he would have thought the journey was pleasant.
"Hey! Hey! Pie guy!" Luffy called down as he slapped his shoulder, "How fast are we going!?"
"Eighty miles an hour."
"Cool! Can you go faster!?"
"We'll get to Alubarna soon enough. Don't worry about the time."
"No, I meant what's your top speed?" he clarified, "How fast can you go?"
Magpie looked up at him with a blank look before he sighed once again, "My top speed is five hundred miles an hour, but I cannot maintain it for long."
"Huh," Luffy uttered with a nod of his head, "Is that part of you devil fruit power?"
"No…it's just something I've always been able to do."
"What from when you were a kid?"
Magpie hesitated slightly, "…I…cannot recall," he muttered before he spotted the Sandora River up ahead and his boat moored to the side, "Hold on tightly. We're going to cross the river."
Luffy did what he said before he frowned in confusion, "Wait, how are you going to do that? Isn't it too wide?"
Magpie didn't answer him and sped towards the river while Luffy wrapped his arms around his neck at the increase in speed. As soon as he reached its banks, Magpie leapt into the air over the water gracefully; his coat tails fluttering in the wind and his body poised as is ready to land. He must have jumped twenty meters across the icy waters before they began to fall; Luffy's eyes bulged in his eye sockets as he saw where they were falling and yelped in fear for his life. Magpie, however, calmly raised both his arms across his chest and pressed his thumbs against his index fingers; suddenly, just as they were about to hit the water, the assassin's boat appeared beneath and he landed on it casually. The boat landed on the surface with a mighty splash, spraying sea water into the air before it glided towards the other bank. Magpie dropped Luffy off on the deck before zipped towards the sails and unfurled them before he began to steer the rudder forwards. Luffy blinked blankly at what just happened before he looked over his shoulder at Magpie.
"Damn, you gave me a scare, Pie Guy," he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head, "That power of yours sure is useful. If I had that then I would totally use it to steal every piece of meat I can see…although, I'll miss my Gum Gum power. Maybe if I have both-"
"What is your plan to defeat, Crocodile?" Magpie firmly interrupted, "You have already been defeated by him once and this will be your last chance before the rebels invade the capital."
Luffy grinned, "Sure I do. It's going to be awesome!"
"…you're just going to punch him until you defeat him, aren't you?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
"It's your usual tactic…you rarely change it."
"Aha!" Luffy proclaimed, raising a single finger in the air with a wide grin, "If I use it all the time, then there's no way that Crocodile would think I use it again. I can totally catch him off guard!"
…
…
…
The regret Magpie had ever since he agreed to side with him grew considerably. He sighed an shook his head wearily.
"May…I make a suggestion," he said as he guided the boat around some rocks, "Crocodile is a Logia type, meaning that physical attacks, other then the ones that are infused with Haki, are pointless against him."
"Huh? Haki?"
"Never mind that now. However, the element that his body takes on is still weak to its natural resistors; for example, electricity cannot conduct through rubber, snow can still melt and poison still has it antidote. The Sand Sand Fruit is quite a powerful Logia type; it does not burn nor freeze, nor can it be easily contained. I would consider it indestructible, However, there is one big weakness to it. A weakness that can turn dust particles into a solid mass in seconds. A weakness that you can exploit," he explained determinedly.
Luffy sat on the side of the boat and rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Aha…" he uttered with a nod, "…and what would that be?"
"What is the thing that Crocodile has been keeping so he nobody else could use it against him?"
…
…
…
…
Luffy stared at him owlishly at him.
"The thing that the entire country is fighting over?"
….
….
….
….
"The thing that every living organism on the planet needs to survive?"
….
….
….
….
"If we fall in it, we will drown in seconds."
….
….
….
….
"…milk," Luffy answered seriously.
Magpie groaned in despair before he reached over the side of the boat and splashed his hand into the water for a few seconds. The Straw Hat stared at his hand for a few seconds before he gasped in realisation.
"Ah! Water! That's it!" he proclaimed while Magpie wearily held his head in his hands. He had a strong resistance to pain, but even he was starting to get a headache, "I remember now. When Crocodile's hook went through me, it also pieced the water barrel that old man gave me," he said, frowning seriously, "Water got onto him and I was able to grab ahold of him. So, if I can somehow used water in my attacks…" he leapt to his feet and grinned wildly, "I've got an idea. All I need is a water, a barrel and a straw! I call it Water Luffy!"
"You think you can defeat Crocodile then?"
"Yosh!" Luffy said with a thumbs up, "Don't worry about me! We're going to kick his sandy ass!"
"Very well," Magpie said as he continued to steer the boat across the choppy waters, "We're almost at the other bank. Prepare to disembark."
Luffy gave him a sound nod in understanding before he tilted his head at him, "Hey, Pie Guy," he said, catching his attention, "When this is all over and you capture me… can you not kill my crew as well. They don't need to be involved."
Magpie glanced at him before he stared straight ahead as the embankment grew closer, "It's not so simple. You, your crew and princess Vivi are now recognised by the Secret Empire whether you like it or not. If I don't kill them then my one of my associates will."
"But that's not fair," Luffy complained angrily, "They shouldn't be killed because of me. I won't allow them to hurt any of my friends."
"Why did you think I wanted to split you up back on the island," he pointed out, making him raise his eyebrows in surprise, "I was trying to kidnap you with as little trouble as possible. If they weren't so loyal…then maybe things would have been easier for the both of us," he solemnly said. Luffy stared at him for a few more seconds with an unreal eyes expression before he bowed his head and looked away. Magpie glanced at him and sighed reluctantly, "I'll…speak to my superiors and explain to them the situation. I cannot promise anything, but I'll try my best to get the targets off their backs and they'll choose a none harmful solution. Perhaps they'll send my colleague Starling to them."
Luffy looked up at him and smiled at him, "Thanks Magpie," he said gratefully, "You know, you're not actually that bad. Definitely the nicest assassin I ever met."
Magpie suppressed a small smile under his mask and silently focused on guiding the boat to the shore.
"Hey! I have an idea!" the pirate suddenly cheered, "Why don't we sing on our way to Alubarna? It'll make the journey more fun."
"I think it's best if we stay silent as we head in enemy territory," Magpie sternly told him.
"Nah! It'll be great! Do you know the Moron Song?"
"I would much prefer if we stay silent."
"Come on, I'll teach you," he said ignoring his request, "The first verse goes…"
"Please stop."
"…ahem, 'The islands in the south are waaaarrrrrrrrrmmmmmm~! Heads all a swoon-swoon~! Buncha morrrrooooonnnnnsssss~!'" he wailed off-key, making Magpie wince, "And the second verse goes…"
"Sing one more thing and I will drown you," Magpie hissed dangerously at him.
"Aww! You don't like singing?"
"Would you consider what you did singing?"
"Yep! My friend taught me," he proudly said before he frowned thoughtfully, "I wonder what happened to Uta? Anyway, the second verse goes…"
The regret that resided in Magpie grew even more with every single note that he had to endure.
Palace of Alubarna, Alubarna
Atop of tall rocky plateau in the eastern island of Arabasta, was the great city of Alubarna. It had been the home of the royal family for centuries; a seat of power that has overlooked and maintained the great kingdom throughout the hardships of the previous years.
The capital was comprised of magnificent white stone houses and estates; clustered together within its defensive walls with narrow streets and alleyways crisscrossing it. At the very centre stood the giant Palace of Alubarna with its golden domed roofs; the residence of the royal family. It held a collection of courtyards, gardens, statues, and grand halls that could house hundreds of people at one time comfortably. It was raised on its separate plateau with a defence green and pink walls circling the entire palace. The only entrance was via the long marble staircase that led from the central plaza, where special events would take place, all the way up to the gatehouse with its thick wooden doors.
On any occasion, the city would have been a marvel, but there was a cold tension in the air that weighed heavily on the citizens. Word had got out that the rebels were quickly approaching and the townspeople had either fled or barricaded the doors to their houses. Arabastan soldiers were stationed in the main plaza below the palace, ready to face the rebels on and protect the king with their lives.
They were all pleased when Vivi arrived. The other Straw Hats had gone off to tackle the members of Baroque Works, allowing her enough time to slip through and get to the palace and to her father as quick as possible.
However, none of them were expecting Crocodile to show up so soon.
The green pastures of the palace courtyard, within the walls and outside the entrance, were now under Crocodile's and Robin's command. Robin had used her powers to lock the entrance while the Warlord swiftly dealt with the guards. Vivi stood beside one of the head guards of the royal family and her old friend Chaka; a tall, muscular, tanned skin man with medium-length black hair and a hooked nose. Their faces were filled with horror at the sight of Crocodile having the real King Cobra, Vivi's father, pinned against the palace door by metal stakes, blood trickling down from his shoulders and onto his golden robes,
"Your highness!" Chaka exclaimed in alarm.
"Father, no," Vivi uttered as tears formed in her eyes.
Cobra shakily looked up, his stern features softening at the sight of his daughter, "V-Vivi," he uttered through the pain, "You came back."
"Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" Crocodile laughed as he confidently stood beside him, "Forgive me for squandering the chance to save the kingdom that you risked your life to get," he cruelly mocked.
Chaka stood forwards and gripped the hilt of his sword, "Release him at one, Crocodile!" he demanded, "This is treason!"
"Treason?" Crocodile hummed as he lit up another cigar, "That is quite an empty threat…considering that there won't be a king once the rebels get here," he mused, making Chakra snarl, "Although, I have to admit Miss Wednesday. I am rather taken by surprise by your appearance. I would have thought Magpie would have killed you the previous night," he glanced over at Robin, who merely shrugged in response.
"I haven't seen him since I left for Alubarna," she lied, "I will send scouts out to find him."
"Very well," he sighed miserably, "Pity. He would have made a great prize to gift the Government."
"Where's Luffy!?" Vivi demanded fiercely, "And what are you doing here!?"
"Oh, did I not mention?" he said, his cruel eyes narrowing at her, "He's already dead."
She took a step back in shock before she growled angrily, "You're lying! There's no way he could ever be killed by the likes of you!"
"Think whatever you want," Crocodile said, with a dismissive wave of his hand as he turned towards Cobra, "In any case, let me make it clear that I have no intention of sparing you and your father. It's only natural that when a kingdom falls, the royal family should perish with it. But before I replace you on the throne, Cobra, there is one question I must ask…a question to which my ultimate objective is tied with…" he leered over the king, his cruel eyes staring down at him malice, "Where is Pluton?"
As soon as the question left his lips, a deathly silence fell over them at how unexpected it was. Cobra's eyes widened in sheer horror while Vivi and Chakra looked at Crocodile in confusion. Even Robin, who had been so calm and collected for all this time, seemed to be caught off guard; her eyes darted towards him inquisitively before she frowned slightly.
Not too far away, leaning casually against a giant statue of a jackal as she remained hidden, Raven temporarily stopped her singing and turned her head towards what was going on. She was listening on the events as they played out near her; the assassin was starting to get bored of what was going on and was thinking of doing something else when the mention of Pluton caught her attention.
"Interesting," she hummed to herself as she listened intently.
The king gulped deeply, beads of sweat taking form on his brow as the larger man loomed over him.
"H-how did you know about that?" he asked in disbelief.
Crocodile grinned wickedly, "Pluton. It's said a single blast from it can destroy an entire island without leaving a trace. The ancient world's most fearsome weapon which carries the name of a god. It should be lying somewhere within this kingdom," he explained, while Cobra snarled in anger, "With a weapon like that, I can establish the world's leading military power here in this land!" he declared.
"A weapon," Vivi uttered, "Does something like that really exists in this kingdom."
"A secret passed down from king to his successor for generations…" Chaka muttered anxiously.
Crocodile leaned his head back and grinned, "Once I become king of this land, it'll only be to easy to bring all the pirates in the nearby regions under my control! With such influence, I'll have the power to surpass even the World's Government's authority itself! And at last, I will have my Utopia!"
"Do you really think the World Government will just let that happen!?" barked Cobra furiously, "They'll stop you before you can even have the chance to use it!"
Crocodile smirked, "Of course not. That's precisely why I need something to tip the scales in my favour."
"I don't know where you managed to learn that name. But I'll have you know, that I have no clue to it's whereabouts," Cobra sternly told him, "Nor am I even sure if such a thing exists in this kingdom."
The Warlord glared at him in silence before a sinister smirk spread across scarred face, "I see. I expected as much," he sighed casually and took a drag of his cigar, "Even I realise just how dubious the existence of such an incredible weapon is…in any case, the bulk of the royalist forces are currently gathered around the city plaza. But in thirty minutes from now, they'll be engulfed by a massive explosion," he told them, much to their shock.
"What!?" Cobra yelled, "Are you out of your mind."
"It is a special made explosive with a blast diameter of five kilometres," Crocodile continued, "That should be enough to cover at least most of the city, wouldn't it? The scenery viewable from here will undergo quite the renovation, I'd assume."
Vivi's eyes widened in terror; she could hardly believe what he was saying, "A five kilometre blast in thirty minutes!?" she cried, "But if you do-"
"Happy, are you?" Crocodile interrupted, "The rebellion you so wanted to stop will finally be over. By my calculations, the rebel forces should penetrate all the way into the city plaza in about twenty minutes. Rather than blowing up the royal palace to stop the fighting in such a roundabout way. It's far expedient to eliminate the ones doing the actual fighting."
Vivi stormed towards him, but Chakra stopped her before she could get any further, "HOW CAN YOU DO SUCH A THING!?" she screamed, "JUST WHAT HAVE MY PEOPLE EVER DONE TO YOU!?"
Crocodile tsched and rolled his eyes at her, "What an earsore," he muttered before he set his sights on Cobra, "Now, your highness, I have an alternative request for you," he said before he smirked, "Where is the Poneglyph?"
Raven heard everything that she needed, 'Potential location of Pluton,' she mused in her head, 'and a Poneglyph as well,' she focused on Crocodile until two strings that were attached to him revealed themselves to her; one was red and the other is blue. The blue string was pulled taut and wrapped it's way around the area where he had previously stood while the red string was much looser and led out of the palace and towards the outskirts of the city. She studied the red string and began to secretly follow it, 'I have time to spare,' she hummed to herself.
Outside Alubarna
"There it is! I see it!" Luffy called out, pointing in the direction of the giant plateau, coming into sight as Magpie ran over one last sand dune, "we've reached Alubarna!"
The assassin grunted as he sprinted towards the city. The added weight of the barrel of water attached to Luffy's back was weighing him down, making it harder for him to reach speeds higher than fifty miles an hour. However, he still pushed through and reached the capital much faster than anyone else. He sped over the sands towards one of the four staircases that led into the cities before he caught sight of hundreds of hoof prints in the sand; a sign of a calvary unit had run by. He looked forwards and noticed several pillars of black smoke billowing from the city.
"We're too late," he told Luffy, "the rebel army has already breached the city walls."
"It's never too late! Keep on going! Vivi needs us!" the pirate encouraged as he pushed his straw hat down further over his brow.
Magpie headed towards the closest entrance, zipped up the stairs and through the broken gate and into the city. He didn't hesitate to run down one of the city's main streets towards the centre, using his hearing to listen for the shouts and cries of the raging battle. He slowed to halt when he spotted that the road was barricaded by soldiers fighting rebels up ahead and so decided to go down an alleyway to escape the block. Magpie zigzagged through the narrow lanes and alleyways, twisting and turning left and right every time he spotted a dead end up ahead. However, he soon came across four royal soldiers up ahead, who turned around to look at them as he sped towards them.
"Hey! Who are they!" one of them cried.
"Doesn't matter who they are! Just shoot them!" another said as they aimed their rifles at them.
Magpie narrowed his eyes and brandished his rapier; he sprinted towards the first one, dodged the bullet he fired at him, and slashed the left side of his neck wide open. He then moved onto the second one and cut both of his calves in one swoop before twisting his body and cutting the back of his neck. He leapt over the third's fired bullet before swing his leg around and smashing the sole of his boot into his face, knocking him into the wall before sprinting over and stabbing the last one straight through the chest and into his heart. Once the last one was dead, he pulled out his rapier out and flicked off the blood.
"Damn," Luffy muttered, "Did you have to kill them like that? They were only doing their jobs."
Magpie hummed, reached down to the closest dead soldier and pulled up his sleeve to reveal a Jolly Roger tattoo, "They're working for Baroque Works," he told him as he stood up, "They must have infiltrated the army to cause unrest amongst the ranks."
Luffy snarled in anger, "Damn it Crocodile. That's a dirty trick!"
"It's a clever one."
"Yeah, but you would say that, wouldn't you?"
"Hmm…touché."
"Oi! You two!"
They looked up and saw a few more royal soldiers running towards them with spears in their hands; whether they were real or just more double agents are unknown to them.
"We don't have time for this," Luffy said, "We need to get to Vivi."
"You're right," he admitted begrudgingly.
He leapt onto one wall of the alleyway before pushing himself off it and jumping on and off onto the opposite wall. He continued to scale the alleyway, leaving the soldiers down below behind, before jumping onto the roof of the nearest building. Quickly, he sped and leapt from roof to roof with the grand palace coming in sight in the distance. After leaping over one wide street and onto the opposite building, Magpie ran up to the edge and stared down at the plaza below.
It was carnage. Within giants clouds of swirling sand, the royal soldiers and the rebels fought fiercely. The sounds of swords clanging, guns firing and war cried filled the air and the bitter smell of gunpowder and hot sand was overwhelming. There was no sense of direction or leadership; it was merely mindless and confused violence. The two stared down at bloody battle as it raged on without no end in sight; Luffy glanced over towards the palace walls and spotted something which caused him to shout.
"There they are!" he yelled pointing towards the palace.
Magpie looked as well; his eyes widened in shock as he saw Crocodile holding Vivi over the edge of the high battlements with his hand around her neck. The princess tried her best to get him to release her by punching and kicking his arm, but he was far too strong. Even if he did let go, she would plummet a hundred feet onto the hard dust ground below.
Without Luffy prompting him, Magpie ran over the roofs that encircled the plaza and leapt off the edge closest to the palace; landing on the plaza gracefully before rushing through the fighting towards the walls. Making it to the walls, he looked up to see the hand Crocodile was using to hold Vivi up melt away into sand, dropping Vivi from the battlements towards her death. Magpie grunted in pain and increased his speed as he ran towards the battlement; he swiftly placed one foot and then the other onto the walls and began to run up it towards the falling Vivi. As soon as he was close enough, he leapt off the wall...
...and caught her in his arms and hugged her tightly to his chest as they fell towards the ground. He twisted his body around and landed on both feet, holding onto to determined Luffy as well as thankful Vivi.
"Luffy!" Vivi cried with tears in her eyes before drifted down to the man who was carrying her, "M-Magpie!?" she exclaimed in shock, "What are you doing here!?"
"Don't ask," he muttered as he carefully put her on her feet, "I'm not here to save you."
Luffy grinned, "He's my friend now! We worked things out and now he's on our side!"
"W-what?" Vivi stammered
"We're not friends," Magpie growled as he pushed the pirate off his back, "And I am not on anybody's side. It's just more convenient this way."
"Convenient way of becoming friends."
"Convenient in...oh, never mind. It's impossible talking to you."
Vivi sweat dropped, 'What on earth happened when we were gone?'
From atop of the battlements, Crocodile stared down with rage in his eyes. The veins in his forehead pulsated and his teeth bit down hard on his cigar while his one good hand was grasped into a tight fist, "Straw Hat," he hissed furiously before his bloodshot eyes moved onto Magpie, "The Black Feather. I should have known."
Luffy looked up at the battlements and gritted his teeth, "CROCODILE! YOU BASTARD!"
Before he could stretch his arms up towards the battlements and initiate the battle, Vivi called out to him as tears formed in her eyes.
"Luffy! The plaza will blown up any moment now. Chaka and the others have been already defeated...and my voice won't reach anybody. I...I can't save-"
"Don't worry," he interrupted with a cheerful grin on his face, "Your voice reached us just fine. We'll take it from Vivi," he reassured her, surprising her. He began to swing his arms around to warm up, "I ate a ton of meat and I'm full of surging blood. I won't lose anymore!" he declared confidently up at Crocodile who snarled in response, "Magpie, I know that I promised that we fight Crocodile together, but I need you to look out for Vivi. Maybe figure out the blowing up thing, will ya?"
"As long as I get what I want then so be it," he muttered.
"Thanks your a good friend..."
"Not your friend."
"...Vivi, trust Pie Guy. He saved my life yesterday. He's not too bad once you get to know him," he told her before he stretched his arms back and shot them towards the top of the battlement, "WATCH OUT, CROCODILE! HERE I COME!" he yelled as he pulled himself and onto the palace grounds.
As soon as he left, a high pitched yelp caught their attention. They turned around and saw Chopper a few feet away dragging with him...some sort of mummy. The reindeer yelped in fear, his eyes wide in panic as he saw Magpie right next to Vivi.
"Ah! It's the assassin guy! Vivi get away from him!" he yelled before he prodded the mummy behind him, "Usopp wake up! We need you!"
"Huh?" Usopp, who was covered up from feet to head in bandages, rose up and groggily looked around, "What? What's the matt-" he fell silent when he noticed Magpie and stared at him in shock.
...
...
...
He proceeded to flop down on the ground and stick his tongue out, "Oh no! I suddenly died! Can't kill a dead guy, right!?"
"Dead guys can't talk either!" Chopper yelled.
Magpie suddenly had to dodge a kick that was aimed at his head and leapt away from Vivi before another one could hit him. He turned around and saw that Sanji had arrived, his leg raised up as if ready to strike him down.
"You just don't know when to quit do you," he snarled before he glanced over his shoulder at Vivi, "Vivi-swan! He didn't hurt you, did he?~"
"No, wait-" Vivi tried to say before two other familiar people got in front of her.
"I thought we finally got rid of him earlier," Zoro muttered as he raised his swords up. He was covered in cuts and blood, looking as if he had just come from a fight, "Let's get rid of him now and make sure he doesn't come back."
Nami nodded, who also looked as if she was in a battle, nodded and raised a blue bo staff up at him, "That's right. Don't worry, Vivi. We'll deal with him."
"You can walk!" Zoro shouted at her, "Why the hell did you make me carry you here!?"
"Guys wait!" Vivi called out as he got around and stood before Magpie, "Luffy told me that he saved his life and brought him here to fight Crocodile," she told him, much to their surprise, "Not only that, but he just saved my life right now, so...let's hear him out...a little, maybe," she questioned hopefully.
"But Vivi he's...he's him," Nami said, pointing an accusing figure at Magpie, "He's been trying to kill ever since we met him. Why the hell would he change sides so suddenly?"
"I am not on anybody's side," the assassin said, "I am only here to complete my mission. Since Monkey D. Luffy and I came to an agreement, I will go along with whatever you want until Crocodile is defeated."
Zoro raised an eyebrow at that, "Hmm? And what's the agreement?"
"It's none of your concern."
"You little-"
Magpie sighed and made the sword he stole from Zoro appear in his hand and held it out for him to take, "I have no use for this anymore. It was only weighing me down anyway."
Zoro looked down at his sword before cautiously taking it back and sheathing it on his belt, "About time."
"We don't have time for this," Vivi said, "Look, Crocodile has hidden a bomb somewhere in the city. If we don't stop in on time the whole plaza and everybody in it will be killed."
"WHAT!" Chopper and Usopp cried out in panic.
"Are you kidding me?" Nami uttered with a gulp.
Vivi shook her head, "I'm not. He said the blast range is going to be five kilometres wide and will explode in less than five minutes. That's our main priority while Luffy is fighting Crocodile."
"Right," Sanji said as he lit up another cigarette, "You heard the lady, let's set out and find this thing before it kills people."
Nami nodded firmly, "Yeah, we don't have a lot of time."
"Let's do it!" Chopper chirped.
"Is anybody going to explain what we're going to do with the bomb when we find the it," Usopp gulped nervously.
Zoro shrugged, "I can try and cut it up."
"How does that solve anything!?" the crew shouted at him.
"Guys," Vivi said seriously, catching their attention, "Let's focus! The bomb could be anywhere in the city and we need to get there before it's too late. So much blood has already been spilled today so let's not add more to it!"
"Yeah!" they cried out in determination.
"It's in the clock tower," Magpie told them, pointing to a large building on the other side the plaza with a tall clock tower reaching into the sky.
...
...
...
"...huh?" the crew uttered in surprise.
"How do you know that?" Vivi asked.
"You just said that it has a blast range of five kilometres, meaning that it has to be a large bomb. Probably, ten feet tall and wide. Something of that size can't be concealed easily so it has to be hidden inside a building. Additionally, since it's on a timer, it would need a large time keeping device to keep it working properly. Not only that, but it would be best to place it relatively close to the centre of the city where the force of the explosion will have more of an impact. Therefore, we're looking for a giant bomb that it is hidden inside somewhere which needs a mechanical time keeping device located right next to the plaza," he pointed at the clocktower again, "It's in the clocktower."
...
...
...
...
"...let me guess, all of you were planning on just running around town like headless chicken until you happened to come across it?"
...
...
...
...
"...no," they collectively lied.
Magpie sighed wearily.
"Hey, it's the princess!"
They turned around and saw several Baroque Agents grunts running towards them with their guns and pistols raised and ready to attack.
"You heard the boss! Let's kill these morons!" one of them shouted earning gleeful cries from the others.
Magpie calmly watched them before he looked over towards Zoro and Sanji, "It'll take too long to go around it."
Zoro smirked and drew two of his swords, "Then I guess we'll just have to go through it."
"Fine by me," Sanji as he crouched low.
"It is the most logical way," Magpie agreed as he made his hand cannon appear in his arms.
But before they could attack, Vivi got in their way, "Wait! You can't go all out. Innocent victims can get in the crossfire."
Sanji rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Don't worry, Vivi, we'll just get rid of those agents and get us through."
"I'll use the blunt end of my sword," Zoro chimed in.
"And I'll be very careful."
"How can you be careful with a hand cannon!?"
"Fine," Magpie sighed as he put away the hand cannon into his bag and brought out his rapier, "I'll use this instead."
The three men crouched down before they flung themselves into action in order to cut through the violence. Sanji began to kick and stamp as many Baroque Agents that came up at him, Zoro cut through them with the blunt (and unlethal) side of his swords and Magpie sliced and stabbed any enemy he came across, making sure to not to make their injuries severe. They were a blaze of activity, none of them stopping or getting injured in the slightest. All the while, Nami, Vivi, Chopper and Usopp followed closely behind as the three fighters led them towards the clocktower and the location of the bomb.
The Ancient Crypt
The passage of time and events can be seen in many ways indirectly. Whether it's the steady movement of the hand of a clock or a sequence of events that can be ready in a book or a newspaper.
Raven, however, sees it much more directly in the form of string. Every living creature is attached to a red string that leads throughout their lives; it begins at the place if their birth and ends on the place where they die. As a person lives of their lives, the red string, which symbolises the future of that person, passes through their body and becomes blue which symbolises their past. This string winds its way across the world, connecting each event or meeting to a particular place where it will or had happen; thousands upon thousands of them criss-crossing with the length of the string symbolising the length of their lifespan.
Raven followed the string that linked Crocodile to his future all the way to an ancient site on the outskirts of Alubarna known as the Tomb of the Kings. This was the final resting place for the Nefertari family for centuries; a site so sacred that the residents don't come here out of respect for the ancestors. After finding the secret entrance, Raven meandered casually through the carved columns and painted walls of the subterranean crypt, studying the ancient script on the walls as the red string as it wound towards the centre. The more taut the string is; the more recent the event is or was for the individual. Right now, the string, currently, was hanging loosely in the air; a sign that Crocodile will be here in less than twenty minutes; if her calculations are correct.
She finally reached the end of the main chamber and came to a large painted stone door. She reached out and touched it, feeling the coolness of the stone through her gloved hand. It was clear that the door had not been opened in centuries…until now. She pushed open the door easily and slipped inside before closing them behind her. She now stood in another chamber which seemed much more ancient then the last. Unlike the last grand crypt, this chamber lacked any decorations or statues of sea creatures; instead, situated in the centre like a monument, was what she had been looking for.
It was a large cube of black stone; about three times her height and the same length in its width. On one side, from the top all the way to the bottom, was an ancient script carved into the smooth rock. Something about the stele, which towered everything in the room, radiated a powerful influence. It wasn't malice nor was it a benevolent power, but it was ancient; in fact, more than ancient. It seem like it belonged to something lost to time itself. Raven knew what it was, she has studied it for years now, but never had the chance to see one in person.
"A Poneglyph," she whispered as she touched the carved writing, mesmerised by it, "I finally get to see one," she began to read it, letting her eyes study every single character right down to the end. She hummed thoughtfully, "I see…it's in Wano."
Grand Plaza
After fighting their way through the battling mob, Sanji and Magpie managed to break though the crowds, followed closely by the others, and stood before the great clocktower which loomed over the plaza. Magpie put away his rapier and stared up at the clock.
"We've got less than two minutes," he muttered before he turned around as he noticed something, "Where's the swordsman?"
Sanji looked around and sighed, "Damn it, not again. How does he do that?" he muttered.
"He'll turn up soon enough," Nami said as she looked up at the clocktower, "What now? How do we get up there?"
"We don't have time to climb all the way up it," Chopper said with a gulp.
"We have to try!" Vivi declared, "We only need one person to get up there so I'll go," she said before she began to run towards the doors and tried to open them…only for them to barely move, "Damn it! It's locked!"
Before she could do anything else Magpie sprinted up to her, "There would be no point anyway. The bomb will detonate before you even reach half way."
"Then what do you suggest!?" she shouted at him.
In response, Magpie turned around, crouched down and got into a sprinting position, "Climb on to my back. I'm going to run up it."
"…what?" she uttered.
"If the bomb goes off then my target dies as well," Magpie told her, "Now get on my back before it's too late."
Vivi frowned uncertainly but decided that it was best to go along and climbed onto his back. Sanji, seeing this, growled in annoyance.
"Lousy assassin," he muttered, "I wanted to be the one to give Vivi a piggy back," he said before he turned to Nami, "Any chance that you-"
"No."
"Let it go, Sanji," Usopp sighed as he patted his shoulder as the chef bowed his head despair, "Just let it go."
Magpie tensed his legs, arches his back and made sure that Vivi held on to him tightly before he zoomed forwards and then up the side of the clocktower, using as much strength to run vertically. Vivi gripped tightly to him at the sheer force of the acceleration; she had almost slipped off at first when he first took off but now she learned how hard she had to climb onto him.
He scaled the building that clocktower resided on before leaping off it and running up the tower, getting higher and closer to the large clock face. He was just about half way up when he noticed something strange; the entire clock face had opened up outwards slightly and now he spotted a long cylinder object stick from behind it…aimed directly at him.
As quick as a flash, he leapt away from the tower before the bullet could hit him. Vivi yelped in surprise and clung on tightly to him as he flipped in the air and landed on a the roof of the building in a crouching position. Once she had recovered her nerves, she shot him an angry look.
"What was that for?" she asked before he pointed up at the clock face.
"Crocodile, as always, has come prepared," he told her making her look up.
The clock face had now opened up the whole way to reveal two figures inside who were leaning over the edge down at them tauntingly. They were both as strange as the other. The first was a short man, fair skin man with narrow eyes and white poofy wig-like hair that reached to his shoulders. He wore a long purple coat with the number '7' printed on the front, a blue and pink shirt and a blue neckerchief. The other was woman with long purple hair, fair skin and thin arms and legs. Her dress sense was...frog-like. She wore a green frog-themed hat that covered the top of her head a yellow dress-shirt and tie under a maroon and pink polka dot vest and skirt with a frog-themed decoration around her waste. She also had a gun shaped like a frog that was used to shoot at him.
"Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!" the woman cackled and croaked, "Look at the Mr. 7. We foiled their little scheme."
"Ohohoho! Yes, I assess that too! Ohohoho!
"Who are these morons?" Magpie muttered.
Vivi flinched and sighed, "It's Mr. 7 and Miss Father's Day."
"Low ranking agents, I take it."
"Undoubtedly."
"Hey!" the pair cried down in offence.
Miss Father's Day straightened up and held her hand over her smirking mouth, "Not for long, however. Once we do this, we'll get promoted big time! Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit!"
"Oho! Such an assessment would be nice," he chuckled as he turned around to face a giant cannon, which was ten feet high and twenty feet long, hidden amongst the tower's clockwork, "In any case, Ohoho, I would assess this enormous cannon is set to shoot right into the middle of the crowd bellow, ohohoho!" he proceeded to reach into his pocket and pulled out a match and striking it against the wall, "Preparing to light the fuuuuuuusssseee!"
"It"s almost time, Ribbit!"
Vivi frowned up at them before she turned to Magpie, "Can you get me up there again?"
"I need more space to build momentum," he told her with a shake of his head, "If I don't get the right speed then I won't be able to climb."
"What do we do then?" Vivi sighed in frustration.
"Oh hey, there you guys are."
They turned to see, to their shock, Zoro standing a few feet away, scratching the back of his head lazily.
"What you got lost or something?"
"You're the one who got lost?" Vivi shouted at him while Magpie sighed in despair, "How did you even get up here!?"
He shrugged, "Don't know. First I was in the crowd then I was in the desert for a while then I took a left turn and wound up here."
"Are you sure you're not missing a few steps there!?"
"Wait, swordsman," Magpie suddenly said, "I might need your assistance."
Meanwhile, Mr. 7 held the fuse which wound its way around the room until it reached the cannon's ignition chamber and lit the end of it before dropping it on the floor. The two Baroque Agents watched in glee as the lit fuse fizzled and sparked around the room, drawing closer and closer to its destination. Miss Father's Day croaked in glee before she happened to look over the edge and down at their enemies below.
"Ribbit! Ribbit!" Looks like they are going to do something, Mr. 7"
Mr. 7 looked over the edge as well and saw Magpie, with Vivi on his back again, standing on the edge of the building while Zoro was crouched down with his swords crossed over his head. Magpie crouched down took a deep breath before he leapt on top of Zoro's swords and tensed his legs in preparation. Zoro grunted at the added weight before he pushed them up with all his strength, making them shoot up into the air. With the momentum he now had, Magpie began to sprint as fast as he can up the wall of the tower once more. The two Baroque agents grimaced at the sight before they drew their weapons and pointed it down at them.
"Ready!" Miss Father's Day called out.
"Go!" Me. 7 agreed before the two fired their pistols.
BANG! BANG!
However, Magpie, instead of jumping out of the way, he swerved around them and continued running up, much to the agents' shock. They were about to fire again…when they found that their pistols had vanished from their hands.
"Huh!?" they cried, their eyes widened in surprise.
But before they could do anything else, Magpie appeared and leapt into the air in front of them with Vivi perched on his back with her whip in her hands.
"Peacock string…" Vivi snarled as she held her whips tightly and ready to strike.
"Ribbit!" Miss Father's Day gulped.
"Ohoho-No!" Mr. 7 cried.
"…SLASHER!" she cried as she whipped both of them off their feet and onto their backs.
As Magpie landed on the edge, Vivi jumped off his back and threw her whip at the fuse and cut it off before the spark could travel any further. At the sight of the cut fuse, Vivi sighed in relief and sunk to her knees and held her face in her hands.
"It's…defused…" she uttered through deep breaths, "…it's…it's over."
Magpie hummed as he kicked an unconscious Mr. 7 in his side, "Well done," he said unenthusiastically as he tossed the agent's guns off the edge, "you saved the day. You should be proud," he told her, making her chuckle a little; something about the way he said it made her laugh. He suddenly stopped when he heard a ticking sound and it wasn't coming from the clockwork. He turned his sights to the cannon and looked down its barrel and saw something that made his snarl in anger, "Damn it! It's not over yet."
Vivi looked at him in confusion before she stood up and saw what he was looking at, "Is that-"
"Unfortunately, yes."
At the far end of the cannon's barrel, ticking steadily in the shadows, was the bomb that Crocodile had built. It was a round, black bomb that was taller than than the average human. However, the thing that caught their attention, was the fact that it had a separate timer built into it…
…and it was going to explode in sixty seconds.
"No…" Vivi uttered hopelessly before she gritted her teeth and reached for it, "No! This can't be happening!?"
Magpie grabbed onto her arm and pulled her back, "What are you doing?"
"There has to be a way to disarm it!" she yelled desperately as she struggled to get out of his grip, "Let me go! We don't have time!"
"Vivi!" he shouted as he pulled her back, tears staring to form in her eyes, "You can't start messing with the mechanism. You can set it off prematurely. We have to retreat!
"I'm not going anywhere! I have to do something! Please! I have to save-" a sob escaped her lips as she fell to her knees, she clasped a hand over her mouth as tears rolled down her cheeks, "I…have to do something. I've…come so close," she uttered before she gritted her teeth and slammed her fist into the ground, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU CROCODILE! DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU TO HELL!" she wailed as she wept, succumbing to her hopelessness.
Magpie released her and allowed her to wallow in her despair. He stared down at her with his hollow eyes before he glanced at the bomb. Before he received his mission to capture Monkey D. Luffy, he would have left her to die. One less problem for him to solve; he would get rid of the princesses and the Straw Hats and their knowledge of him and he would find his target and complete his mission…
…but something made him pause.
He did not know why, but his heart clenched in his heart at the sound of her crying; it pierced deep into his emotions and made his stomach feel like it was weighed down with lead. He was compelled to help her…and that sort of thinking was dangerous for him and lethal if his superiors found out. He raised his gloved hand and felt the crack in his mask; a feeling of dread filling his body.
'I…can't allow them to know that I'm broken,' he thought before he turned around and headed to the edge.
Vivi, sensing his departure, looked around and saw that he stood on the edge of the clocktower, holding his hands over his chest and pinching his finger and thumbs together. She frowned in confusion at what he was doing before her eyes widened as he saw him leap off the edge. She gasped in fear and scrambled after him, but was shocked to see him not fall, but rise up higher and higher into the air.
"That looks like Miss Valentine's Kilo Kilo Fruit Power," she muttered as she watched him rise further into the open air. She blinked up at him before she closed her eyes and sighed miserably, "Of course…no point him staying around anymore," she uttered in exasperation.
She turned back towards the cannon, hoping to find some sort of way to diffuse it before it was too late…when she saw that had vanished.
"W-what?" she uttered bewilderment before she suddenly realised where it must have gone. She looked outside and then up and gasped, "Magpie!" she screamed in horror, "No! Come back!"
A few thousand feet in the air, Magpie used the Devil Fruit powers had had stolen from Miss Valentine's and floated higher and higher up into the air, getting away from Alubarna as far as possible. Once he reached another hundred meters in the air, he crossed his arms over his chest and made the bomb he had stolen from the clocktower appear right next to him. Placing both feet on the bomb, he pushed himself upwards further into the sky before he repeated the process. Over and over he would steal the bomb, push up it and, when he got to a good enough distance, used his powers to make it appear in front of him before it could plummet to the ground. If it had a blast radius of five kilometres then he needed to be more than that away or else the city would feel the impact. He glanced at the time on the bomb and noticed that he had less than twenty seconds before it detonated. He didn't stop for a second; every meter countered.
Further and further he climbed until he saw the timer reach five seconds when he stopped and looked down at the ground below. With Alurbarna being merely a dot and Arabasta stretched out beneath him like a sandy blanket. In the distance, he could spot the river and possible Rainbase if he focused,
It was beautiful. Seeing something that he usually perceived as massive look so small. He was away from the noise and the destruction and everything.
It was just him and the gentle ticking of the bomb.
…5…
…4…
…3…
…2…
…1…
'It's…peaceful up here,' he thought as he closed his eyes and gripped tightly to side of the bomb.
…0
And with one final tick, the bomb exploded, shattering the tranquility and filling the sky with its intense light; scaring the people from down below from the unexpected blast.
Magpie made no attempt to escape and allowed himself to be consumed by the flames
Something didn't feel right about his death.
For one thing, he still had control of his senses; if he was dead then he would, at the very least, feel some sort of numbness or relief that was usually associated with passing on to the next life. Instead, his eyes were open as they stared blankly up to the blue cloudless sky, the smell of gunpowder and smoke hung in the air and the clanging and clattering of steel weapons rang out in the distance.
Finding that he could move, he pushed himself off the ground and looked around to find that he was on top of a roof of a building with the palace and the clocktower in sight. He stumbled onto his feet and peered over the side and saw the grand plaza down below, completely flocked by the royalist guards and rebel soldiers battling intensely against each other. It seemed that not even a bomb exploding right over their heads wasn't enough to dissuade them from their fighting; they continued to shoot, hack and batter each other to the bitter end without a single moment to consider the fact that they almost perished.
"It's depressing, isn't?" Magpie whipped his head around to see Raven suddenly appearing at his side, looking down on the battle as well, "after everything that has happened, still continue to fight. They allowed hatred and bitterness to enter their hearts and ignore the voice of doubt screaming at them to stop; it really shows what humanity is really like deep inside," she mused before she turned and casually walked away.
'No, surely not,' Magpie thought in shock as he turned to his fellow assassin, "I still have time. Mr Nest gave me-"
"It doesn't matter how long you have. If you're not going to complete the mission then there's no point wasting anymore time on you," she sighed wearily and looked over his shoulder at him "You're welcome by the way…although did you really think you can get away from us that easily, Magpie?"
"I wasn't trying to get away. If the bomb exploded at the centre of Alubarna then Monkey D. Luffy would be dead. I was taking away any possible threat to the target so another agent can take my place and complete this mission."
"You insult my intelligence," she said before she suddenly appeared in front of him in a blink of an eye until they were mask to mask, "Ever since the crack appeared in your mask, you have grown…soft," she said, making Magpie flinch, "You're lying to yourself. Everything that you have down was not justifiable for the mission, but because you are feeling sympathy to them. The princess, the pirates and even that Marine officer you encountered. You could have killed them all…but you decided not to. Once you realised that, you decided it was better to kill yourself then face us with another failed mission."
"My mission is my life! It's the only thing I have!"
"Then I guess you are nothing now," she drawled uncaringly, making him take a step back in shock, "Don't expect to be treated as anything else, because there is nothing for you to achieve."
Magpie stood in silent shock as he tried his best to understand what was going on. He suddenly heard shouting above the cries and shouts of the soldiers and turned to look at the clocktower. Standing on its edge, right where the the clock face should have been, was Vivi screaming at the top of her lungs down at the fighters.
"STOP IT! STOP FIGHTING!" she bellowed with a distress stricken expression on her face, tears pouring down her face as she did, "STOP IT! STOP IT! STOP FIGHTING!"
However, not a single soldier looked up at her words or even acknowledge her words that she was yelling desperately at them. The two assassins watched her attempt with blank expressions before Raven sighed and turned away.
"She's distraught," she told him, "not only does her people fight and her father's life is on the line, but because you sacrifice yourself for her life and saw you perish right in front of her eyes…don't you think that's strange behaviour for somebody who was supposed to be killed by them?" she questioned. Magpie didn't reply and continued to silent watch as Vivi continued to plead to the mob, trying to get them to stop, "Don't worry," Raven sighed as she turned her head up to the sky, "It'll end right about now."
Magpie looked up as well and narrowed his eyes when he spotted something…no, somebody hurtling down to the ground, heading straight to the centre of the plaza. His eyes widened once he recognised the large golden hook and the billowing coat of Crocodile fall from the sky miraculously and crash land onto the paved tiles with a might boom; dust and pieces of tiles flying into the sky at the impact.
Sir Crocodile, one of the seven Warlords of the sea, one of the most powerful logia users in the Grand Line and criminal mastermind behind the takeover of Arabasta, now laid unconscious on the ground; soundly and utterly defeated.
"He did it," Magpie whispered to himself in disbelief, "He actually defeated him like he said he would."
Drip!
His eyed flickered at the sound of a single rain drop fall onto the floor in front of him.
Drip! Drip! Drip!
Several more raindrops followed suit.
Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!
More and more began to fall around them until a steady rainfall began to cover the city; above them the clear sky, void of any cloud, had grown dark and stormy and stretched across the city and across Arabasta. It was gentle at first but it grew harder by the second until a light storm broke out. It came out of nowhere; like a miracle. It was such a surprise that gradually the battle down below began to stop. Royal soldiers and desperate rebels cease their fighting and turned to the sky in wonder and disbelief. For three entire years, not a single drop of rain had ever been seen. The mob fell silent as they allowed the cold water to run over them, cooling their skin and wetting their hair. The anger, anguish and thirst vanished in seconds; they turned to each other in confusion and regret; not believing that they were fighting each other blindly for all this time.
No longer will they have to suffer. Rain will fall again once more and the nightmare will be over.
Magpie turned his head up and allowed the rain to drip onto his mask, sliding off it and soaking his uniform. Behind his mask, a small smile appeared; something that has not happened in many, many years.
"Monkey D. Luffy has finally defeated Crocodile and restored peace and order across Arabasta," Raven said as she now held up an umbrella to shade her from the rain, "and right on time. Crocodile will be arrested by the Marines for his crimes have his Warlord status revoked and be held in the lowest depths of Impel Down…but that shouldn't concern you now. Mr Nest wants to meet on the outskirts of Alubarna to discuss what will happen to you. Don't be late," she ordered as she began to turn and walk away.
Magpie bowed his head and clenched his fists tightly, "He's going to terminate me, isn't he?" he asked, making Raven stop, "He has never liked me…not since I started. He has been looking for an excuse ever since. How long do I have?"
The assassin looked over her shoulder at him, "Four hours, fifty six minutes and forty two seconds."
"Is there any way to redeem myself…before it can happen?"
"Do whatever you want, Magpie," Raven told him, "Complete your mission or not, you're still a disgrace in the eyes of the Emperor and to Mr. Nest. So, do what you think is worthwhile and kill some time. At the end of the day, you're going to die a failure of a person," she coldly told him before she turned away and began to sing, "O little brown field mouse ~ With fur so bright that all adore ~"
She then disappeared without a trace, leaving Magpie alone in the rain.
Somewhere In Alubarna
The rain continued to pour across Arabasta as Cobra carried an exhausted and bloodied Luffy through the collapsed buildings and wreckage brought on by the battling. After the defeat of Crocodile not too long ago, Luffy has passed out, but not before saving him before the crypt's collapse as a result of his battle between him and the Warlord; carrying him to safety was the least he could do to help him.
He stopped when he saw Zoro, Nami, Usopp (who was being dragged by his leg by the swordsman), Sanji and Chopper round the corner of a destroyed building; they turned to him and saw their captain and sighed in relief.
"Oh, that's where you are," Nami said as they quickly approached them.
Cobra, however, frowned suspiciously, "Who are you people?"
"Um…well that guy on your back," Sanji said as he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, "Thanks for carrying him over…but we can take it from her."
He reckoned it was probably not a good idea to alert anyone that they were pirates.
"Does that mean you're he pirates who escorted Vivi back to the country?" Cobra suddenly asked, much to their surprise.
"Oh…she mentioned us," Sanji uttered.
Before anything else had a chance to speak, Vivi appeared around the corner, spotted them and ran over to them, "Everyone! Papa!" she cried as she ran up to Cobra and hugged his side, "I was so worried," she said as Cobra hugged her back, being careful not to drop Luffy.
"Huh!? You're the king!?" Usopp and Chopper yelled in shock.
"Oh," Nami said with a mischievous smile, "So you're the person we get our reward money from."
"Geez, Nami! Ever heard of timing!"
Cobra released Ahis daughter from the embrace before he gently placed Luffy down on the ground, "Indeed, I am Vivi's father. King Nefertari of Arabasta," he introduced himself to the crew, "I had already resigned myself to death. But he saved my life," he told, making them fall silent as they looked at the unconscious pirate, "Even after fighting Crocodile, he carried two people back up to the surface. His strength is incredible. He needs to be treated for his wounds as well as all of you."
Vivi nodded soundly, "Yes, let's go back to the…" she trailed off as she saw somebody approaching from the distance. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped in utter disbelief, "…I…can't believe it,"
They turned to direction she was looking in and what they saw filled them with dread. Staggering uneasily down the street, his dark hooded cloak drenched in the rain, was Magpie. His head was bowed so his grinning mask was covered slightly by hood and there were cuts and tears in his black uniform, however the assassin had no sign of further injury. It was as if she hadn't been blown up by a giant bomb at all.
"…you're alive," Vivi uttered as she took a step forwards towards him, "…Magpie, how did you-l
Her words got caught in her throat as Magpie raised his arm and brandished his deadly rapier, pointing it straight at her. The Straw Hat crew flinched at the sight; Zoro drew his swords, Nami raised her new bo staff, Sanji growled and raised his leg while Chopper and Usopp cowered in fear.
"Are you kidding me! Don't you ever give up!?" Usopp yelled as he hugged Chopper tightly.
"Damn assassin," Sanji muttered angrily.
Cobra took one look at Magpie and his eyes widened in disbelief, "I don't believe it. A Black Feather assassin! What is he doing here and why now?"
"He wants to kill us and take Luffy," Chopper squeaked, "He also helped Crocodile capture us, but he helped us in the end."
"Looks like truce is over," Zoro grumbled as he narrowed his eyes at him, "Crocodile is defeated and so the bastard's already going for us again," he raised his swords up, "Do your worst! You!re outnumbered and we know your stupid tricks!"
Magpie silently stood with the rapier still pointed at them; trying his best not to look at Vivi and the disappointed look that she was giving him. However, before anyone could make a move, a familiar voice called out to them.
"Stop! Don't attack!"
Surprised, they turned back and saw Luffy was shakily back on his feet. He was covered in cuts and bruises and looked as if he was on death's door and yet he still had that determined look in his eyes; the same stern look that he puts on in the middle of a battle against a strong enemy.
"Luffy?" Nami said, "What are you-"
"I told you not to attack him," he said as he limped forwards until he stood in front of them. As the rain hailed down on them and the cold winds blew, Luffy glared at the assassin unflinchingly; Magpie met his gaze and held out his rapier towards him, "A deal's a deal. I'll go with you. Just don't hurt my friends, okay?"
"What!?" they cried in shock.
"What the hell are you talking about, Luffy!?" Sanji shouted at him.
The captain gave a deep sigh and pushed his straw hat down over his face, "To get him to release me, I made a deal with him. If he helped me take down Crocodile and save Arabasta…then I'll go with him and complete his mission. He put up with his end of the bargain…now it's time for me to do mine."
"Wait Luffy!"
"You can't do this!"
"Who cares about the deal! Let's just defeat him!"
Vivi stepped forwards to him in worry, "Luffy…are you sure there's nothing we can do?"
Luffy sighed and shook his head, "No…I don't want you guys to anything. Don't follow me or do anything to stop me," he ordered, "We'll find a way through this! I promise you all that I will return and be your captain again!"
The crew fell silent at his command; their concerns evident on their faces as they watched their captain take another step towards the assassin. Vivi clutched her hands tightly into fists and looked in despair; they had just defeated Crocodile only to be forced into another problem. While they worried over their captain's decision, Magpie thought on what he was doing.
They were nothing but pirates! Magpie had never heard of them until a mere few days ago and yet they have caused him so much trouble with their stupid antics. He was Magpie! One of the finest assassin, thief and spy under the rule of the Secret Empire. He kills his targets with grace and with flawless execution, successfully infiltrated over fifty Marine Bases, and slaughter crews of pirates who sailed to close to their waters. All these years of near perfection of being a Black Feather has gone to waste because some stupid pirates and their idiot captain; they had tarnished his name, ruined his reputation, made a mockery of him and now he had to pay for it with his life! It just wasn't fair!
Magpie took a step forwards, holding his rapier up so it pointed at Luffy's heart. He would have gone and taken him to Mr Nest in a heartbeat…but Raven's words echoed through his head, making him stop.
'Do whatever you want, Magpie. Complete your mission or not, you're still a disgrace in the eyes of the Emperor and to Mr. Nest. So, do what you think is worthwhile and kill some time. At the end of the day, you're going to die a failure of a person.'
No matter what… he will die a failure. That was it. He can't even have the satisfaction to enact his revenge on them; that would imply that he was doing this for a reason. But he wasn't. There was simply no point.
'Calculating success rate with all my options,' he thought mournfully, '0%'
His hollow dark eyes gazed over the group in front of him. A princess who put her trust in a crew of pirates, a father and daughter reunited after three years and a crew of pirates who put so much faith on their captain that they were willing to put their lives on the line. And then there was the captain of the Straw Hat Pirates; he was only a young man, but he fought with such commitment and confidence that he was able to defeat a Warlord and cared deeply for his friends.
Magpie couldn't help but be a little spellbound by them.
'Must be nice…I wonder what it feels like…to be cared for.'
Clatter!
Luffy's eyes widened in shock while the others gasped. The rapier, that had been used to torment and kill so many people, was allowed to fall from his grasp and clatter onto the ground; the sound echoing down the lane over the thundering of the rain. Luffy's eyes darted down to the sword before he looked back up at Magpie, confusion evident in his expression. Magpie stayed in the position with his sword arm raised for a few more seconds before he dropped the arm to his side, slowly turned around and began to walk away with his head bowed.
"Hey! Wait!" Luffy cried after him.
But it was too late, Magpie had already disappeared into the shadows; gone without a trace.
The Straw Hats, Vivi and Cobra stared at the place where he vanished in disbelief. The assassin, who had been following them for days, simply left them be without taking his target with them. It was a shock that they were trying to overcome. However, once realisation settled in…
"WOOHOO!" Usopp cheered as he pumped his bandaged arms in the air, "WE WON!"
"YEAH!" Chopper joined in as he jumped up and down in victory, "He must have been intimidated by how awesome we are!"
"Hell, yeah!"
"It's time for a party!"
"We're stronger than the Black Feathers!
"Yeah!"
"That's enough!"
Usopp's and Chopper's victory was suddenly cut short. They turned to the others and saw that they we're not as thrilled as they were. Cobra and Zoro were frowning in deep thought; Nami stared at the ground with a blank expression; Sanji lit up another a cigarette as he stared into the sky with a serious expression; and Vivi had a sorrowful look on her face as she stared at the place where Magpie had vanished. However, it was Luffy that they were surprised at. His hands were clenched at his sides and his face was scrunched up in rage. Usopp blinked in surprise before he finally decided to speak up.
"But Luffy, Magpie was trying to kill us. We should consider this a victory."
"I said that's enough!" Luffy repeated, making him flinch in fear, "We are not going to celebrate, okay!? It isn't right!" he yelled as he gritted his teeth, "He has not stopped perusing us ever since we left Drum Island, he joined forces with Crocodile and risked his life to save me just so he can complete his mission. He told me that his mission is his life! So important that he would give up his freedom to complete! That's how much he wants it! That means that if he gives up on it now…then that must mean he's given up on his life!" Luffy yelled, "THAT'S NOTHING TO CELEBRATE!"
Luffy fell onto his knees as exhaustion took ahold of him. Zoro and Sanji ran to his side and held him up before he could pass out from the pain he was in. As the others checked in on the captain, Vivi looked into the distance where Magpie had left and closed her eyes as a small teardrop ran down her cheek.
"Magpie," she whispered, "Please come back."
Hospital Wing, Palace of Alubarna
It had been hours since Crocodile's defeat and yet the rain did not stop for a second.
Who knew that something as simple as water falling from the sky would be such a beautiful sight and welcomed by the people across Arabasta. Dry wells were now full, sandy fields are now muddy and rich in nutrients and the throats of the citizens were quenched. Arabasta will no longer be known as the dying country, but as a country of new hope and promise.
The drought has ended and everyone was free.
But why did Vivi sigh sadly.
As the rest of the Straw Hats slept soundly in their hospital beds, Vivi, dressed in her nightgown, sat beside the window and stared out into the rain that fell so fiercely. She was happy; more than happy; she was relieved, but one single thing had kept her up despite her tiredness. And that was Magpie.
'…his mission is his life,' she remembered Luffy say earlier, 'If he gives up on his mission…then that must mean he's given up on his life.'
Vivi watched the raindrops trickle down the glass and thought about those words over and over again. She didn't want to justify his actions and she wasn't going to; Magpie was an assassin who hurt her, hurt her friends and assisted Crocodile in his operation. It's not something she would forgive so easily. However, she couldn't help but feel worried for him. He was outside and all alone in the rain with nobody to help him; forced to kill and kidnap by the phantom know as the Secret Empire; she had no room in her heart to hate him or what he is.
The door to the ward creaked open and she glanced over to see a tall, broad shouldered man with long blond hair that was curled up at the ends. He had an oval shaped head, narrow eyes, a wide nose, and a thin mouth with thick lips. He was dressed in a long evening tunic that swept across the floor. She smiled softly, despite her worries, at the king's servant and her protector who was called Ingram. She had thought that he was killed just before they left Whiskey Peak, but, rather miraculously, he had survived the explosion unharmed. He had yet to explain how he did that, however.
"Princess Vivi," he whispered gently to not wake up the others, "Why are you still awake?"
Vivi sighed as she looked out the window, "I can't sleep. Not when…"
She trailed off, not really knowing what to say next. Ingram frowned in concern and walked up to her side.
"I remember what you told your father earlier. About the Black Feather Assassin," he told her, making her flinch, "you must have been frightened. I'm sorry I wasn't around to protect you."
"It's fine," she told him softly, "He…he actually saved us in the end. Sacrificed himself to stop the bomb from exploding in the city. He could have left; could have escaped with the few seconds he had left and left me to die…but he didn't," a small smile graced her lips, "He can't be that bad, right?"
Ingram cleared his throat and stared out the window along with her, "I can't pretended I know the devious mind of a deadly assassin. If he had an ulterior motive then it is not apparent to me."
"Nor me," Vivi sighed before she got up from her chair, "Tomorrow, I'm going to go out and look for him. Hopefully, I can convince him-"
Suddenly, she gasped as something shocked her mind like a lightning bolt. She felt her mind go numb, her eyes widened and her knees buckled beneath her, making her collapse to the ground. Ingram, instinctively, caught her before she could hurt herself and sat her back on the chair, his faces paling in worry for her health.
"Princess!?" he urgently questioned as she stared blankly into space, "Princess Vivi!? Are you alright!?"
Vivi blinked in shock as her mind began to reboot itself. As soon as she finally woke up, her gasped and clasped a hand over her mouth.
"I…I need to go," she whispered, "I need to go now! Magpie is in trouble!"
"W-what? How do you know?"
"He's on the outskirts of Alubarnam," she told him as she shakily got to her feet and ran towards the door, "I don't know how I know that. It just…came into my head. Right now," she told him. She stopped at the doorway and looked back at him, "I…I think Magpie's going to die."
Alleyway
"You stupid boy!"
Magpie grunted in pain as he was smashed against the wall of an abandoned building; pinned by his throat but the gloved hand of Mr Nest. The leader of the Black Feathers tightened his grip on him before he threw him to the wet, muddy ground before kicking his stomach for good measure. Mr Nest snarled down at him before he stepped underneath the umbrella that Raven was holding up for him to shelter him from the rain.
"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic," he muttered as Magpie, covered in dirt and mud, picked himself up and kneeled before him in respect, "Never, in all my years, have I ever seen such a tremendous mess made by a Black Feather assassin. You allowed your target to get away, got yourself beaten, broke your mask, aligned yourself with a government puppet and revealed yourself to a royal family. You have sullied the name of the Secret Empire."
"I…still have time," Magpie hesitantly said, "You promised me much longer to rectify my mistakes."
Mr Nest leaned down and glared at him with his hollow eyes, "I am the leader. Only I can judge how long you have to redeem yourself. If you don't live up to that standards then that's your problem, Magpie," he leaned back up and sighed, "You really put me in a difficult situation. If I take you back to HQ then you will be killed on the spot. The Emperor does not take lightly to mistakes as you well know. I will do you a kindness by killing you now in a less painful method," he proceeded to reach into his pocket for and pulled out a single, long key with sharp, intricate teeth running along the side. Magpie looked up at the key and couldn't hide the shudder of dread that ran down his spine, "Do you recognise this, Magpie?"
"Yes, Mr Nest."
"And do you know what it means if I use it?"
"…yes, Mr Nest."
"Are you not going to protest? Beg for me to save your life? Plead with me to give you another chance."
Rain hammered down on him as he stared at the ground; streams of water flowing over his white mask and dripped steadily onto the place he kneeled. He was silent for a few seconds; his breathing was deep and slow at the cold rain soaked through his coat. The only sound heard, other than the rain, was Raven's singing; and even then it was at whisper. Eventually, he spoke.
"I have failed my mission…I have failed the Empire…I don't deserve to live anymore."
Raven continued to stare down at him in calm judgement while Mr Nest chuckled cruelly at his response. He stepped forward and used one hand to push his head back while he held the key to the side of his mask.
"That devil fruit was wasted on you," he snarled deeply, "I could have done so much more if I had it for myself…but, no. The emperor decided to give it to a useless brat who never understood its potential," he bowed down until they were mask to mask, "Maybe this time, I'll get what I deserve."
He was about to insert the key in the mask…when Raven suddenly appeared next to him and snatched his wrist.
"Not yet," she calmly told him, much to his surprise, "Magpie will die in four minutes and seventeen seconds."
"What!?" Mr Nest snarled as he slapped her hand away, "Who cares if we're early-"
Suddenly, a cloaked figure darted around a corner and into the alleyway, they stopped and whipped their head around before they laid their eyes on them; on Magpie in particular. The figure ran through the puddles and kneeled at Magpie's side, catching the assassin by surprise.
"Magpie, I finally found you," the figure softly said.
Magpie turned his head and was taken aback by who it was, "Vivi?" he uttered, "W-what are you doing here?"
"A good question," Mr Nest snarled, "What's the meaning of this, Magpie? How does she know we're here?"
Magpie frowned in confusion and looked from the princess to the assassins, "I-I don't know. The probability of discovery our location is below ten percent."
"Well, you must have done something, you stupid brat," he snapped at him before he sent a dark glare at Raven, "And a little bit of warning next time, Raven."
"My apologies, I was so busy holding this umbrella up to notice," she nonchalantly said, earning a growl from the leader.
Vivi glared up at them from beneath her hooded cloak, studying the two assassins before her, "You're the Black Feathers, aren't you? You're the ones who ordered Magpie to kidnap Luffy and to kill me."
"Two of the many things that he was incapable off," Mr Nest sighed, "I should have terminated him from the start."
"He did the right thing," Vivi shot back, "Without him, Alubarna would have been destroyed and hundreds of people would have died. Just because he didn't complete the mission you forced him to do, doesn't mean he didn't do any good. You have no right to treat him like this."
Mr Nest glared at her with his hollow, empty eyes before he clicked his fingers. Almost instantly, Magpie got into his feet and stepped forwards, much to Vivi's confusion.
"I think you'd find…" he drawled as he took out a pistol and aimed it at Magpie's shoulder, "…that I have every right to treat my property as I like."
BANG!
Vivi screamed as Mr Nest fired the pistol and shot Magpie in the shoulder; the assassin was knocked back off his feet by the force, blood pouring down from the wound in his arm. Magpie didn't show any sort of pain, not even a yelp or cry; he just took the bullet as if it was normal. Vivi ran over to him, kneeled down and placed her hand over the wound to stop the bleeding.
"Why didn't you dodge?" she questioned as she looked up at him in worry, "You could have easily got out of the way."
"He won't because I won't let him," Mr Nest said as he pointed the pistol at her, "what don't you understand? He is nothing, but a tool to kill people like yourself. If a tool is broken then-"
"He's not a tool!" she yelled at him, "He's a person who's been forced into doing your dirty work for so many years!" she glanced at the pistol pointed at her to his mask, it was only then that she noticed how tightly fitted over his face was; as if it was locked in place, "It's the mask. You're controlling him with the mask, aren't you?" she reached up and tried to ply it off his face, but it didn't budge no matter how hard she tried, "How can you do this to an innocent person!"
Mr Nest sighed in boredom, "Mind control? You think that's how the mask works? How primitive that puny mind of yours is," he pulled back the hammer to the pistol, making Vivi stop, "the mask is much more simpler then that; simple but so beautifully designed. In short, it is rather like a filter. While most filter unwanted substances from liquids; the mask filters everything in the world and separate the unwanted good from the wanted bad. Everything that Magpie sees, hears and feels will be filtered of all the positives aspects associated with until only the negatives remain. No matter what it is, the wearer will always perceive it as negative."
Vivi frowned in confusion, "What? What would the be the point of that? Can that even happen?"
"How it happens is a secret that even I have no way of knowing. As for why, however, it is fairly simple…" Mr Nest told her, "it is easier to control a person's heart than their mind."
"It is easier to control a person's heart than their mind," he heard him say through the crack of his prison.
He had been listening in on what was going on ever since Magpie and Luffy had made the deal. It was just nice to listen to something even if it was the sounds of violence and bloodshed. However, there were some of this things he heard that he really enjoyed. Luffy's constant talking and singing made him laugh, Vivi thanking him for saving her made his heart (something he just remembered he had not too long ago) beat faster in joy and the sound of Crocodile defeated made him jump up and down ecstatically…before he got tired and slumped to floor in exhausted satisfaction. It all sounded fantastic! Amazing even!
However, now, as he listened to Mr Nest talk about his mask, the delight he previously had soon left him as quickly as it arrived. He placed his ear against the crack and listened in to what he had to say.
"Humans react emotionally before they think rationally," he said, "they let their feelings influence their thoughts and act in a manner before they could even stop to think about why they are doing it. Anger becomes hatred and bitterness; sadness becomes depression and distrust; and fear becomes hopelessness. Those who wear the mask are in constant state of negativity because that's what the mask wants them to see the world. And if somebody is at the lowest point, with no hope of any rescue, they become…easily convinced to do anything. Even the most outlandish request will not be denied, because there is nothing better for them. You think he's controlled? He isn't physically. He has always had the chance to say no to any order or deny any request, but he won't…because we won't let him give him the choice," he explained with menacing cackle, "You see how beautifully simple it is."
"You monster!" he heard Vivi cry, "You've been manipulating him for all these years just so you can make him kill!" she yelled before she paused for a second, "Wait, you're also wearing the masks. If you know all of this then surely you're being manipulated as well."
"Bah! Who cares!? In the kingdom of the blind; the one eyed man is king! I don't care whose in charge, as long as my talents are appreciated by the Emperor, then I'm more than happy to serve!"
Mr Nest continued to speak, but he had stopped listening by then and stepped away from the crack. He felt as a heavy weight was placed on his stomach and his mind was unfocused as he slowly came to terms with what was happening.
He wasn't trapped in the prison. He was the prison.
All this time, he thought that the murderous beast that was Magpie was controlling him; using his body to kill and hurt people…when it was him all along.
'I'm not trapped,' he sorrowfully thought, 'I have never been trapped…this is me."
His knees felt weak before suddenly giving way, making him collapse onto the floor. He held a hand over his mouth and released a sob, tears starting to form in his eyes.
'I'm…I'm the monster. I…slaughtered so many people and…done so many horrible things. And here I was thinking that I could break free…that I can live a normal life without this prison,' he bowed forwards until his body laid on the ground and held his hands over his face in disgrace, 'I don't deserve to be free after all. I will probably more of a menace then I am now. It's better if I just die and then I won't hurt anybody else again.'
He wallowed in misery, feeling himself grow smaller and smaller as he allowed himself to disappear into the endless void. There was no hope for him; he had done so much wrong in his life.
He wanted to be forgotten. He wanted to no longer exist. He just wanted to stop everything.
And that was his final thoughts as he drifted away from consciousness and floated back into the nothingness.
...
...
...
...
"M-...
He heard...something.
"...M-IE..."
Something calling to him.
"...MA-G-P..."
Something not allowing him to disappear and bringing him back.
"...MAG-IE...M-PIE...can you hear me, Magpie!"
He dared himself to look up at the crack in his prison and noticed that it was slowly getting smaller and smaller. However, despite that, he could clearly hear the voice on the other side, calling out to him.
'Vivi?' he thought as soon as he recognised the voice.
'I'm sorry that you have to suffer like that," he heard her say gently, "I know you have had to go through a lot. I don't know if this will make you feel better...but I regret doing things in the past. Running away from my home, joining Baroque Works as an undercover agent, raiding ships to raise funds...I hate that I had myself that I had to do that. But...but that was in the past. My country is safe and Crocodile has been defeated and now...and now I can finally let myself go of that regret," she told him in a whisper, her voice breaking slightly as if she was trying hard not to cry, "I know that my problems are nothing compared to yours...but you shouldn't let yourself being dragged down by your regrets either. I know you can do good. I've seen you do good, Magpie. You're capable of doing much more. You just have to forgive yourself and be better than you once were. Don't let your past decide what your going to be. Choose who you want to be now. It's never too late, Magpie. Now please wake up and tell me what do you want to do!? Who do you want to be!?"
He stared at the crack with tears in his eyes; not quite believing what she was saying to him, 'What…I want to do?' he thought hesitantly, 'Nobody…has ever asked me that before,' he told himself as he wondered on her question. He shakily got back to his feet and stumbled towards the crack, thinking over her question over and over again, "What do I want? What do I want? What do I want?" he finally made it to it and leaned his hand over it, feeling it's warmth flow into him.
It was a nice, soothing warmth; just as pleasant like the first time it had opened up. At the time, he had no idea such wonderful things existed on the outside; so much to see, hear, smell and taste; much that he had missed in his solitude. He…wanted to experience them all. Yes, that's the word. Experience. Things beyond his imagination, things that he can only see in his dreams. No longer did he have to think in black, white and grey. He can think in deep blue, bright yellow, fierce red and in all the colours.
He wanted to wonder. He wanted to…
A small smile appeared on his face, 'I know what I want.'
On the outside world, Vivi had propped the injured Magpie onto her shoulder as she tried to shake him awake. He hadn't spoken or moved in a while and she was starting to get worried.
"Magpie! Magpie! Can you hear m-"
Click!
Her breath hitched in her throat as she heard the sound of a pistol hammer and turned her head to see Mr Nest standing over her with barrel pointed straight at her head. This was not the first time she had been close to death…but this was the first time her mind went blank. There was no way of getting out of this.
"Princess Vivi," he slowly said in a menacing voice, "you are accused for the crime of breaching the anonymity of the Secret Empire. You're punishment will be immediate execution," he tightened his grip on the trigger, "Maybe next time, you should stay in your warm palace and not concern yourself with vermin like him."
Vivi gulped in fear and shut her tight. She had no time to get away or do anything to save her own life.
Mr Nest squeezed the trigger.
BANG!
"AHHHHHH!"
Her eyes snapped open at the scream of pain. She heard the sound of a gun firing and the smell of lit gunpowder…but she had not been hurt.
Mr Nest staggered back as the pistol dropped from his blood stained hand and clutched his wrist. Though his mask, he stared down in pain and horror as he saw index and middle fingers were severed off, leaving behind two blood soaked stumps where they had been. He yelled in agony as he put his hand underneath his armpit to stop the bleeding before he looked down at Vivi and Magpie with a pained snarl. Vivi looked down as well and was surprised to see a smoking pistol held in the assassin's hand; held up towards his superior.
"YOU INSOLENT BRAT!" Mr Nest roared as he aimed a powerful kick at him…
…only for Magpie to catch his foot easily.
"Huh?" Mr Nest uttered before Magpie twisted his leg with one hand and tossed him down the alleyway as if he was merely a rag doll. Mr Nest fell hard onto the wet ground and hissed in pain; he turned his fat head towards them only to gasp when he saw the assassin was no longer in Vivi's arms and on his feet, "I command you to stop!" he yelled as he dragged himself away; only for Magpie to raise his pistol at him again, "AS YOUR SUPERIOR I COMMAND YOU TO S-"
BANG!
He yelped as the bullet flew past his head and hit the pavement, almost hitting by a millimetre. Mr Nest turned his head towards Raven, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR!? STOP HIM!"
Raven hummed and tilted her head, "…a gentle fire for you ~ And you will be… No point, really. He will die in one minute and ten seconds… kept all cosy and warm~ That is what I shall do?~" she simply said as she stood beneath her umbrella and continued to sing her song.
"Die?" Vivi uttered in horror as she looked towards Magpie, "What do you mean by that?"
"Damn it! Raven!" Mr Nest cursed before he produced the key from his coat pocket and held it out in front of him, "Remember! I have this! If you ignore my orders then I'll kill you on the spot! All I have to do is unlock your mask!" Magpie stopped in his tracks as he saw the key, making Mr Nest chuckle at his hesitance, "Ha! You see! Nothing but a coward!"
Vivi got to her feet and stared at the key in confusion, "That's the key to his mask," she murmured, "If you use it…he'll be free. Why is that a threat? You're releasing him?"
"Release him?" Mr Nest said as he got back onto his feet still holding onto the key, "Yeah, that's right. Another beauty of the mask design is that…it's the only thing keeping him alive," he said, much to her shock, "It's more than just a pretty object. It's the wearers' lifeline. His entire body is devoted on it keeping him alive. Take it off and his body will go into immediate shock and his heart will fail in seconds. If he had been wearing it for one or two years then maybe his body would take the sudden removal if he was lucky…but since he's been living on it for sixteen years, then he stands no chance!" he cackled manically, "Even if he was released, he wouldn't have long until he perishes and-"
He stopped suddenly when he noticed that the key had disappeared from his hand, his eyes widening in sheer shock as he turned to see Magpie had used his power to steal it away from him. Magpie turned the key in his hand, raised it to the side of his mask and inserted into the hidden lock.
"W-w-what are you doing?" Mr Nest stuttered, "N-no I forbid you!"
"Magpie!" Vivi yelled in fear, "Stop! You don't have to do this! We can go to a hospital and we can-"
"Raven," Magpie croaked out, his voice faltering from dark and cold to sounding like a normal person, "how long until I die?"
Raven gave him a calm look and tilted her head curiously at him, "Thirty two seconds," she told him.
Magpie raised his face to the sky and allowed the rain to fall onto his face, "Then it'll be the happiest seconds of my life."
He turned the key.
"NO!"
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crrraaaacccckkkk!
As soon as the the key unlocked his mask, small cracks began to appear across the white surface. These cracks began to grow more and more and get wider and wider by the second, covering his mask like a spider's web. The edges of the mask began to flake and fall away revealing more of his face that hadn't seen the open air in over a decade. Then, with one final crack, pieces of the mask shattered and fell apart. Magpie gasped as if he had been holding his breath for all his life before his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground in a heap. Vivi immediately ran to him and held him up as he began to spasm and shake, his organs starting to fail on him one at a time.
"Magpie! Magpie! No!" she yelled before she raised her head up, "Somebody help! We need a doctor! We need a doctor!"
Mr Nest staggered back and whipped his head back and forth as he heard people coming towards them as they responded to Vivi's cries, "Damn it! Raven! Kill her now before-"
But before he could give his command, Raven placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's time to leave. Magpie will die in twenty one seconds. There's nothing we can do," she calmly told him before she glanced at the withering Magpie for the last time.
"What are you talking about!?" he bellowed at her, "We need t-"
And suddenly they both disappeared into thin air, leaving nothing in their trace.
Vivi saw that they were gone but paid little attention to it. Instead, she forced on trying to not let him die, "OVER HERE! WE NEED A DOCTOR!" she cried out into the rain, "WE NEED HELP! HE'S GOING TO DIE!"
"Vivi" she looked down at him as he whispered to her. Most of the mask had fallen away, but a great portion of it was still covering his features. The only thing that she could see was the corner of his mouth and one violet coloured eye that was looking up at her gently, "th-th-thank you f-f-for ever-r-rything," he stammered as he began to shiver.
15…
"Don't say that," she told him with a serious expression, "We're going to get you help and you can finally do what you want. Like I said you would, right? Did you hear me say that?"
…10…
"I-I did," he uttered, "And I-I-I alread-d-dy decided w-what I want."
…5…
Vivi's eyes raised her eyebrows at that, "What was it?.
…4…
The corner of his lip lifted up in a bright smile, his purple eyes shimmering in the dim street light.
…3…
"Freedom…" he softly said.
…2…
"…tell Luffy t-that I-I-I finally want freedom."
…1…0…
His eyes slowly closed. The last thing he heard were the sounds of rapid footsteps and the muffled screams of Vivi as he slowly drifted In unconsciousness…
…finally enjoying his, well deserved, peace.
Well…that's…that's something.
I'm sorry dear readers but this has never happened before. None of my OCs have ever died and so early in the story. I don't really know what to do. Err…I guess that's the end of this story. Thank you so much for reading, sorry it had to end like this. I was hoping to continue it to at least-
[Door opening]
"Oh, hi Victor! How's my story going? Are you finished yet? Can I read it?"
Ah! No! I told you to not come in here while I'm writing the conclusion!
"Whoops sorry! I just came in to tell you that I finished unpacking my stuff in my new room."
What stuff? You don't own anything?
"That why I was so quick. Anyway, what are you doing? Oh, are these the omakes you were talking about? Brilliant! Can I write one? Hi everybody! It's me! Oh, what's this button do. Wow! It made my speech into italics! How brilliant! And this one makes it bold. And this one makes everything underlined. And this is what it looks like when I press all three."
Look, I know you're having fun, but I'm trying to, you know, build suspense for the next chapter.
"Right…did I ruin it?"
A little, yes.
"Oh…sorry. Should I leave?"
For now, yes [sighs] You can have your own omake next chapter.
"Brilliant. Bye everybody!"
[Door closes]
[Sigh] We'll, I guess I see you guys next time with a brand new chapter.
Thanks for reading :)
